This is a long overdue writing assignment, but I've been thinking about joining the Peace Corps recently. I know I'd have to get used to a lower standard of living, but getting paid to travel sounds like the adventure I need at this stage of my life. I'm in that important transition phase between college and career, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to commit to anything yet. Delaying the inevitable sounds like a great plan to me. I could use an eye-opening and life-changing experience to help me gain some perspective. An average "tour of duty" lasts about two years, but you are given up to forty-eight vacation days. The Peace Corps will pay for a flight to wherever you want to go (within reason), but it will not cover any of your other travel expenses. The application asks what part of the world I would prefer to be sent to, and I started thinking about where I had already been.
March 2010-Costa Rica
I was lucky enough to start my spring break a couple days early, because my cousin was getting married... in Central America! Believe it or not, this was not a honeymoon location wedding. My cousin's fiance (now husband) grew up there, and he would like to live there again some day. He has political aspirations and wanted a highly publicized wedding. The flight from Atlanta took about four and half hours. I recognized someone from college before we even took off. She remembered my name, but I could not for the life of me remember hers. We had a short conversation about our spring break plans, then I went looking for her on facebook mobile. When I found her, I realized it was her birthday as well. I quickly said "Happy Birthday Ellen," and she thanked me with a smirk. I think she knew what I had just done.
Flight attendants were offering food and alcoholic beverages... for an inflated price. No one else seemed to have any interest, but it was past our dinner time. It was safe to assume that we were all pretty full after sharing two appetizers, four meals, and at least ten beers and wine coolers. I didn't see the receipt, but it must've cost a lot! As soon as we got off of the plane, we were herded on to a crowded shuttle bus. Airport services were waiting with a wheelchair for my ninety-two-year-old grandmother at the terminal. It was highly advantageous to be related to her at this point and time. Clearing customs was quick and easy because of the "wheelchair only" line. Families were allowed to follow. The walk to customs and baggage claim proved to be bizarre though. As we were getting on the elevator, a pregnant hippy-looking woman was on the floor making a scene. She kept shouting that her husband kicked her in the stomach, and wanted to file charges against him. The husband was adamant that his wife was mentally unstable, and wanted nothing to do with her. Airport security seemed to be just as confused as everyone else, but I never saw the resolution. Several strange ads were strategically positioned around the terminal, reminding everyone about statutory rape laws. They were hard not to notice, I guess that's a huge problem there.
The hotel was about a half-hour away from the airport. A driver from the hotel was waiting to pick us up, it's not every day that you see someone holding up a sign with your last name on it. The driver was entertaining to say the least. He was somewhat of tour guide, who loved to practice his English any chance he got. He was all to eager to teach us a little Spanish as well. I remember him taking an interest in me after he struggled to pronounce my name right. He was open about his love of drinking, and could tell that we shared a mutual interest. He told us jokes and talked almost the entire time. The hotel was a secluded resort with a lot of amenities. The lack of air conditioning was puzzling, but it never got too warm inside. There was so much space, and the indoor pool was in an adjoined green house. The restaurant was located right in the middle of everything and there were bars nearby. I couldn't have been more impressed, but it would have been nice if the casino was still open.
Our extended family and friends had made the trip a day or two before, but we didn't see them until the next morning at breakfast. Most of them had been exploring the coast and snorkeling the day we got there. I was not happy about missing out on this, but I got over it. The first thing we got to do was tour a coffee factory/plantation. I wasn't that interested, but the tour guides were really energetic (I wonder why? haha). Later on that day, a bus took us to a wedding party called a
Seronata. Its a tradition for the groom to sing to his bride before they get married, and we were all looking forward to that. The house had an incredible view of San Jose from its vantage point on a hill. There was mariachi band and an open bar with unlimited beer and mixed drinks for everyone. I got really drunk and made a fool of myself on the dance floor. My mom would later scold me for bumpin' and grindin' with a couple girls, saying that it was "inappropriate and demeaning to women." Supposedly, one of her friends sarcastically asked her who taught me how to dance. I literally passed out on the floor of the bus on the way back to the hotel, someone had to wake me up when we got there.
The next day started way too early, but I was excited for the next group activity. There were options, but I chose jungle zip lining. The height and speed of it was a little nerve-racking at first, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I was disappointed that I didn't see any monkeys, but they're prone to stealing your stuff if your not careful. We went to a sports bar that evening, but our inability to speak Spanish was detrimental to our overall experience. My limited understanding of the menu came from Taco Bell, but this did not help me make a good decision. While other people were ordering steaks, I thought a chicken chalupa sounded good, but it wasn't. It was a hard taco shell covered with lettuce, tomato, two pieces of chicken and an ample amount of ketchup and mayonnaise. Not kidding. My sister and other cousin had pity on me and shared their meals.
The next day was the wedding, but it wasn't until early that evening. I spent the better part of my day relaxing, and looking forward to what was to come. The church was absolutely beautiful, it reminded me of the Sistine Chapel. A bagpiper was playing outside as everyone started arriving. I felt awkward about sitting so close to the front, but that was only because of how bored I tend to get at ceremonies. The service was mostly in Spanish, but most of it was translated. I thought it was strange that the ceremony didn't end with a kiss, but I was just glad that it was over. We all went back to the hotel for the reception; that's when the fun could start. Wine was served with appetizers as last minute preparations were being made in conference room. Champagne was then poured for toasts, and the best man had the longest speech ever (in Spanish). It must've lasted for almost five minutes, and a large percentage of the people in attendance had no idea what he was saying. A feast was unveiled soon afterward in an adjoining room, and waiters were taking drink orders. The band started encouraging people to get up on stage, and my sister and I jumped at the opportunity to play the bongos and shake the tambourine. I started to get a little belligerent after awhile, prompting my aunt to say that she was a little worried about me. I decided to sober up and change out of my suit at that point. I had spilled red wine on my shirt earlier, but I wouldn't have noticed it if several people hadn't pointed it out to me. Ignorance is bliss! Sufficed to say, it was a great night!
I was a little sad that we had to leave the next day, but I was planning on going to Panama City Beach when I got back. I won't get into the crazy hijinx of that trip. As soon as we started boarding the plane, I noticed that my family had first class seats. My ticket was bought separately, so I had to sit in the economy section. While my family was eating a three course meal in lounge chairs, I was given peanuts and soda. While they were picking what they wanted to watch on a personal screen, I was watching a projected movie for kids with everyone else. My Dad felt bad, so he gave me some money when we landed. Costa Rica was an out of this world experience though, and I'd love to go back some day. I need to go to the beach next time, supposedly it's home to some of the best surfing in the world. I had a lot of fun regardless. My cousin and her husband went to Italy for their honeymoon shortly thereafter. Talk about jealousy, that is one of my dream vacations!
July 2007-Australia
I actually lived in the "Land Down Under" for two years when I was a toddler. My family moved there in 1988, and we came back to the States in 1990. We lived in a desert oasis town called Alice Springs that is right in the middle of the country. My dad worked at a government facility called Pine Gap. The absence of artificial light and pollution allowed them to rely on NASA satellites for all the intelligence they could gather. I don't remember much about living there, but I've seen countless pictures and heard funny stories.
Seventeen years later, my family decided to go back for a two week vacation. The flight to Sydney took almost twenty hours altogether, but we had a layover at LAX. It took over fourteen hours to cross the Pacific Ocean. Quantas Airlines couldn't have been any better, but the overall experience of the abnormally long flight was not much fun. I appreciated all the food, alcohol, entertainment and friendly service but the lack of leg room became a big problem for me. The guy sitting in front of me didn't understand the concept of common courtesy. He had his seat back almost as far as it could go for the better part of the flight. He wouldn't even put his seat all the way up when was eating. This frustrated me to no end, and I never got comfortable enough to fall asleep. My ankles started swelling up, and I have never experienced worse turbulence. The plane started shaking violently near Hawaii, and I started thinking about the pilot episode of Lost. It was that scary, but we landed safely in the end.
Unfortunately our summer is their winter, but it wasn't that bad. Sydney's average temperatures were in the high fifties to low sixties. We stayed in a large suite in the middle of the city for the next few days and enjoyed all the typical things tourists do. The view from the balcony was pretty amazing, but we tried to stay active while we were there. We had a guided tour of the city, cruised around the harbor, and visited zoos and aquariums. I walked through water tank tunnels with multiple sharks above my head, got to pet koala bears, and witnessed hungry crocodiles jump for their food. The Sydney Tower allowed us to see a 360 degree view the entire city at over nine hundred feet above sea level. The weather didn't allow us to go to Bondi Beach, but we enjoyed ourselves anyway. The next stop was a city called Adelaide in the southeast region of the country. It was only a two hour plane ride from Sydney. Adelaide is known for its local music scene and wineries, and we took advantage of the latter. We signed up for a tour of all the most popular vineyards, sampling everything they allowed us to try along the way. I don't consider myself a connoisseur of wine by any means, but I have never had better wine in my life. I enjoyed the Port the most, because of the thirty-year aging process it goes through. The oak barrel it was stored in gives it sweet flavors and unique accents that are hard to explain. I could only describe the experience as comparable to Christmas morning. I know that doesn't make much sense, but I couldn't think of any other way to tell everyone how much I enjoyed it.
Our old home town of Alice Springs was next on our list of places to see...again. As soon as we got into town, I had a strong feeling of Deja Vu. I had no real memory of living there, but everything looked so familiar. We drove past our old house, and visited the school my older sister attended. There wasn't much else to see in such a small town, but we stayed for three full days. Aborigines were prevalent, and most of them seemed to be either poor or homeless. A prohibition had recently been imposed on them, because public drunkenness had been a problem for so many years. My dad remembers seeing some of them drinking boxed wine from the nozzle in the river bed back in the day. There wasn't much to do in the middle of the desert, but we made the best of it. The hotel had a casino, and I got lucky playing the slots. We continued to eat like we were on vacation, but I decided to try something different at one restaurant. I ordered a meats sampler platter that included kangaroo, camel, emu and alligator. All of which were pretty good! The trip to see Uluru (Ayers Rock) was not boring though. The view of such a huge rock was pretty breath taking, but the annoying flies were swarming that day. We stopped at somewhat of a zoo on the way there, and a cockatoo made our day. Not only could it talk in an Australian accent, but it could mimic your laughter as well. This just made is laugh harder, haha. We finally left to visit one more place called Cairns that would prove to be the best part of the entire trip.
It's closer proximity to the equator made Cairns a tropical paradise. Our beach house couldn't have been any closer to the sand, and it was more spacious than any other place we stayed in. There were three bedrooms, two bathrooms, full kitchen, and a fifty inch flat screen TV in the living room. The deck was bigger than the house itself. There was enough room for two tables and four pool chairs. A pool and hot tub was right next to our deck, but we had to walk down stairs to gain entrance. I could not have been more content with my life when I was admiring the sunset at the beach. Our family friends from Virginia were there, who were taking a different approach to their Australian vacation. They started in Sydney, but immediately went north to Cairns. Ironically enough, we met them for the first time in Australia eighteen years earlier. We all went snorkeling the next day in the Great Barrier Reef, and that may very well have been one of the best experiences I have ever had in my short life. The entire spectrum of bright color could be seen underwater. Schools of fish were swimming in unison, and the coral itself was just as colorful as the fish. We tried to take pictures of what we saw, but nothing we took with our disposable water resistant camera was worth keeping. The clouds were covering the sun, which affected the brightness of the pictures. The professionals we paid to take us out there provided us a CD with all the best pictures they had ever taken though. If you want to see what I saw, watch the Shallow Seas episode of Planet Earth.
I had no real desire to leave, but I accepted it when the time came. The flight back to LAX was not as excruciating as it was before, but the six hour flight back to Washington D.C. was torture. I was so exhausted by the time we got home, but jet lag wouldn't allow me to sleep. I had gotten plenty of sleep on the plane anyway. The best vacation I had ever been on was now over, but I was happy to have experienced what I did. I hope to go back someday, but I don't look forward to another twenty hour flight anytime soon, unless its in first class!
July 1999-Europe
This vacation was over a decade ago, but I still remember it like it was yesterday. It all started in London after a six hour flight. After little to no sleep on the plane, I expected to get a little shut-eye when we got to the hotel. The rooms weren't ready yet, so we we did the complete opposite. My dad wanted to see the the famous department store Harrod's, but it was a two mile walk there. We had a buffet breakfast beforehand, but walking and shopping was the last thing I wanted to do at that point. A tour company called Globus had planned out the entire trip for us, but we had a couple days to do whatever we wanted. We used that time to adjust to the five hour time difference. Our family friends met us there, but they weren't going to join us on the tour. We would've done more, but the tour guide was going to show us everything the city had to offer. His name was Hamish, and we couldn't have asked for a better one. He was knowledgeable, funny, and seemed to love his job. The group was also friendly and hilarious. There were a lot of senior citizens who just wanted to have fun. A lot of states were represented, and I think a few Canadians joined us.
After a few days in London, we left for the white cliffs of Dover. A "hovercraft" boat was waiting to transport us to Calais, France. We could've taken the new Chunnel through the English Channel, but Globus had arranged for us to do it this way. A large bus was waiting when we got there, we had a lot of ground to cover in the next ten days. The plan was to travel north first, and our first stop was in Brussels, Belgium. That was a stretching/bathroom/eating break though, we would spend the night in Amsterdam, Holland. I remember seeing a few nude beaches on the way there, but they were a long ways away from the road. Amsterdam was not nearly has fun as it could've been. I remember visiting a cheese factory, and seeing how clogs are made. The entire country had a unique smell too, but it wasn't necessarily good or bad. I don't know how to explain it. One of the older couples joked about getting hookers that night because there were calling cards everywhere. The next stop was Munich, Germany, but we were only passing through. All the taxis were Mercedes or BMW's, and the BMW headquarters resembled a transmission. The bus would not stop for the night until we arrived at a small town called Omeramagua. Its close proximity to the Neuschwanstein castle was the primary reason we stopped there. The Disney World castle was actually modeled after it. We would tour it before we left. It was pretty incredible, I posted a picture of it below. Omeramagua was quaint little village with several bars and restaurants. We all enjoyed wienerschnitzel at almost every meal, which is a fried pork chop. The hotel was small but nice. There was a cantankerous parrot in the lobby that didn't seem to like me very much. It was friendly to my sister, but it would snap at me every chance it got. It would mimic what you said every once in awhile, so that kind of made up for its sexism.
The bus driver was ready to take us to Austria and Switzerland after a couple days, but it was at this point that a lot of people started getting contagiously sick. Colds and stomach viruses were spreading, and a few people had to go home early. I felt bad for these people, but me and my family were spared. The view on top of a mountain in Lucerne, Switzerland was breath taking. All of your cares and concerned could easily be forgotten. We made our up there in a gondola lift, and went back down the mountain in a train. Venice, Italy and Paris, France were up next though. Our vacation was coming to a close, but those last two stops made all worth it. We could not have eaten better food or seen more architectural and natural beauty. The gondula boat ride through the canals of Venice may have smelled bad, but it was one of the most unique experiences you can ever have in any city. The Italian food and music that we enjoyed at a special restaurant outing was the perfect dining experience. Saint Peters Cathedral and Basilica was picturesque, but the sheer amount of pigeons flying around the area was pretty ridiculous. I also found out how much Paris has to offer, besides the Eiffel Tower. Notre Dame, the Lourve Museum and the Arc De Triumph were a just few of the sights we had to see. I tried es cargo while I was there, and it wasn't half bad. That may have been because of all of the garlic butter sauce, but it was tasty. The new tour guide was annoying. She would begin each sentence with a long uhhhhhhhh, and didn't know English very well. I was getting pretty homesick at this point though, because I had never been away from home for so long. My family felt the same way as we made our back to London then home. It was an unforgettable vacation, but we were all grateful when it came to an end.
One thing I couldn't help but notice about Europe was how open they are with their sexuality. Nudity and hardcore pornography was everywhere. Newspaper advertisements and billboards had nudity, and pornography was available on free television. Male and female prostitutes put their calling cards in most phone booths and bathrooms. I was an impressionable twelve-year-old at the time, and my parents tried to shield me the best they could. I was so surprised with how desensitized Europeans were, but the morals and values of our society seemed so prude all of a sudden. I was a little taken aback by it all at first, but I realized later how awesome Europe truly is. I really hope I can go back to Amsterdam some day...without my parents! I've also been to Canada and Mexico, but I decided not to count those among my international vacations.
 |
| ULURU |
 |
| Arenal Volcano |
 |
| Neuschwanstein |
